Bottle seal cutting device



Oct. 19, 1954 w. A. HISLOP 2,691,820

BOTTLE SEAL CUTTING DEVICE Filed July 21, I953 /3 INVENTOR. 5 WILLIAM A H/SLOP BY 3 We /3% HIS A TTORNEYS Patented Oct. 19, 1954 so ES PAT Eur OFFICE I 2,691,820

BOTTLE SEAL CUTTING DEVICE WilliamA. Hislop; Richmond; Oalifi, assignor'of I onefourth to William J-.=.Herrmann, Oakland, and .sone-foluth .to. -William;Ho; Berkeley, Calif:

Application July 21, 1953', Serial No. 3693297 My invention relates to bottle seal cutting devices andmore particularly-to one for-use in slitting the plastic: or foil-seals conventionally employed in sealingthe corkedend of liquor or beverage bottles.

The corks employed in such bottles are each customarily capped with a. disk which forms a flange overlying. the lip of thebottle to which the cork is fitted,.and' therseal'is applied thereover. In severing this seal, most efficient results will be realized. when the cutting is effected. along the seambetw-een the cork flange and the lip of'the bottle; but in so doing, care must be exercised against cutting deeply into the cork as this might render removalot the cork a troublesome undertaking.

Among the objects. of. my invention are:

1. To. provide anoveliand improved means. for use in cutting bottle seals-of the. foil orv plastic coatiugtype;

2.. To provide. anovel andimprovedmeans. for incutting bottle seals of. the foil. or plastic coating type, and which embodies. safeguards againstcutting into the corkwhich closessuch.

bottle;

3. To provide a noveland improvedbottle seal cutter which willmake possiblethe cutting of a seal rapidly. and conveniently; and

4. To provide a noveland improved-bottleseal.

cutter which willenable one to partially loosen a cork-while. inthe act ofcutting the seal.

Additional. objects of my invention... will. be brought out in the followingdescriptionof apreferred embodiment of the same taken conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein,

Figure 1 is athree dimensional View depicting thy-invention in itsjpreferred form Figure 2is-a front-elevational view-oi thexsame;

Figures3 is a view. in section taken in the plane 3--3 of Figure 2 ;..and

Figure 4 is .a viewinsection taken in the plane 4-4 of Figure. 3.

Referring to the drawings for detailsof my invention in. its preferred form, the bottle seal cutter illustrated comprises; a wall l having a v-notch inithe upper edge thereof; this notchat its: open end. being: substantially wider than the diameter of the'corkedend 3 of a bottlehaving-a seal 5 thereover, and at its lower end, the;notch.

terminates in a trough 1 having a dull edge 9 and a radius of curvatureapproximating thatof the corked end of the bottle.

Extending inwardly from the side edges l I only of the notch are cutting means, such cutting means including a tapered cutting edge extending While such cuttingmeans alongeach edge of the slot'might be in the form of a straight knife edge, I' prefer. to form suchcutting'means as a plurality of .taperedcutting tabs !3; These may be formed from the original edge at each side of the notch by a stamping operation, the stamping diebeing formedto imparta cutting edge to each tab in the one stamping operation.

In utilizing the seal cutter for its intended purpose, the sealed end of a bottle is pressed into the nctchywith thetabs coinciding with the seam formed by the cork flange. with the lip of the bottle. As-the bottle is pressed downinto the notch. and simultaneously rotated, the. seal will he cut alcngthe seam, while at the same time, the taperedcutting edges will tendto star-t? the cork andthus-facilitate the removal of the same.

Cutting of the cork is avoided by limiting the lengthcf the cuttingmeanstc the length previously indicatedtheoriginal edge I! of thenotch also aiding inthis connection-by acting ,as a stop against forced side movement of the bottle.

Likewise, when the bottle reaches the bottom ofthe notch, the cork is protected.againstcutting by; the original. thickness of the wall against which itengages.

The. plurality of. cutting tabs employed by me in the preferred. embodiment of my invention, functi-on-moreefiiciently and effectively thana continuous straight edge, in thatv the tabs will readily. puncture'or perforate the seal material and: thus more effectivelyv initiate the cutting operation.

In-the. preferred form ofmy invention as illustrated, the-notched-wall I is incornorated'in a structure'for. mounting-on av wall. Such structure-includeswwall mounting plate lifrom which extenda pair ofside walls; ll and t9,- whichiin turn are spanned by the notched wall l; constitoting the frontwall of the device.-

This-irontwall is-preferably sloped downwardly towardathe wall mounting plate to enable presentinga bottle thereto atzan upwardly directed angle, topreclude. possible leakage-or loss 'offcontents upon cutting of the seal or loosening of the cork.

The side walls and the notched front wall may be formed from a single strip of metal and spot welded to the wall mounting plate, the side walls being flanged for this purpose.

Included in the device under consideration, is an added feature for enabling the removal of crimped bottle caps. Toward this end, the wall mounting plate is formed with a lower triangular appendage 2|, which is crimped to form a horizontal ridge 23, while the lower edge of the front wall is extended below the side walls and provided with an arcurate notch 25 conforming to the curvature of the bottle cap. The extended end of the front wall is bent inwardly so that the same may be conveniently engaged under the crimped edge of a cap to be removed, while the diametrically opposite portion of the cap rests against the ridge which functions as a fulcrum in effecting removal of the crimped cap from the end of the bottle.

Mounting holes 21 may be provided through the wall flanges and at the lower end of the appendage 2 I.

From the foregoing description of my invention in its preferred form, it will be apparent that the same fulfills all the objects of the invention as previously set forth, and while I have described and illustrated this embodiment ofmy invention in considerable detail, the same is subject to alteration and modification without -departing from the underlying principles involved and I accordingly do not desire to be limited in my protection to the specific details so illustrated and described except as may be necessitated by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A bottle seal cutting device comprising a wall having a V-notch therein, said notch at its wide end being wider than the diameter of the corked end of a bottle having a seal thereover, and at its lower end terminating in a trough having a radius of curvature approximating that of said end of the bottle, and cutting means extending inwardly from the side edges of said notch for perforating and slitting such seal along the lip of such bottle as the lip end of said bottle is forced down to the bottom of said notch and simultaneously rotated, said cutting means including a plurality of tapered cutting tabs, each extending from the normal edge of said notch a distance approximating the radial thickness of the bottle adjacent the lip thereof.

2. A bottle seal cutting device comprising a wall having a V-notch therein, said notch at its wide end being wider than the diameter of the corked end of a bottle having a seal thereover, and at its lower end terminating in a trough having a dull edge and a radius of curvature approximating that of said end of the bottle, and cutting means extending inwardly from only the side edges of said notch for perforating and slitting such seal along the lip of such bottle as the lip end of said bottle is forced down to the dull edge at the bottom of said notch and simultaneously rotated, said cutting means including a plurality of tapered cutting tabs, each extending from the normal edge of said notch a distance approximating the radial thickness of the bottle adjacent the lip end thereof.

3. A bottle seal cutting device comprising a wall having a V-notch in the upper edge thereof, said notch at its open end being substantially wider than the diameter of the corked end of a bottle having a seal thereover, and at its lower end ter- 4 minating in a trough having a dull edge and a radius of curvature approximating that of said end of the bottle, and cutting means extending inwardly from only the side edges of said notch for perforating and slitting such seal along the lip of such bottle as the lip end of said bottle is forced down to the dull edge at the bottom of said notch and simultaneously rotated, said cutting means including a plurality of tapered cutting tabs, each extending from the normal edge of said notch a distance approximating the radial thickness of the bottle adjacent the lip end thereof.

4. A bottle seal cutting device comprising a wall having a V -notch in the upper edge thereof, said notch at its open end being substantially wider than the diameter of the corked end of a bottle having a seal thereover, and at its lower end terminating in a trough having a dull edge and a radius of curvature approximating that of said end of the bottle, and cutting means extending inwardly from only the side edges of said notch for perforating and slitting such seal along the lip of such bottle as the lip end of said bottle is forced down to the dull edge at the bottom of said notch and simultaneously rotated, said cutting means including a plurality of tapered cutting tabs, each extending from the normal edge of said notch a distance approximating the radial thickness of the bottle adjacent the lip end thereof and being of less thickness throughout than the normal thickness of said wall.

5. A bottle seal cutting device comprising a Wall having a V-notch in the upper edge thereof, said notch at its open end being substantially wider than the diameter of the corked end ofa bottle having a seal thereover, and at its lower end terminating in a trough having a dull edge and a radius of curvature approximating that of said end of the bottle, and cutting means extending inwardly from only the side edges of said notch for cutting through such seal along the lip of such bottle as the lip end of said bottle is forced down to the dull edge at the bottom of said notch and simultaneously rotated, said cutting means including a tapered cutting edge extending from the normal edge of said notch a distance approximating the radial thickness of the bottle adjacent the lip end thereof, and means for deterring side movement of such bottle as the same is forced downwardly in said notch.

6. A bottle seal cutting device comprising a wall having a V-notch in the upper edge thereof, said notch at its open endbeing substantially wider than the diameter of the corked end of a bottle having a seal thereover, and at its lower end terminating in a trough having a' dull edge and a radius of curvature approximating that of said end of the bottle, and cutting means extending inwardly from only the side edges of said notch for cutting through such seal along the lip of such bottle as the lip end of said bottle is forced down to the dull edge at the bottom of said notch and simultaneously rotated, said cuttingmeans including a tapered cutting edge extending from the normal edge of said notch a distance approximating the radial thickness of the bottle adjacent the lip' end thereof and being of less thickness throughout than the normal thickness of said wall and forming a shoulder with the edge of said notch.

No references cited. 

